Conveyer



A. L. SHAW' Oct. 17, 1933.

CONVEYER Filed Oct. 19, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 17, 1933 i l*e UNITEDSTATES,l Pmem'ry ori-ice CONVEYER Arthur L. Shaw,`Cicero,111.', assigner to Chicago Automatic Conveyor Co., Cicero, Ill., acorporation of Illinois i Application October 19, 1929. Serial No.400,750

7 Claims. (Cl. 198-233) 'I'he present invention relates generally @toAOther objects of the invention and the various portable conveyers whichare adapted for use advantages and characteristics of the present inmoving coal, coke, ashes, crushed stone, sand, construction will beapparent to those skilled in gravel, or other such material from a pile`on the art from a lconsideration of the following delthe ground to awagon or another conveyer. tailed description. v60

More particularly the invention relates to that The inventionconsists'in the several novel featype of portable conveyer` whichconsists of an tures hereinafter set forth and more particularlyelongated angle-iron supporting frame, an enddefined by the claims atthe conclusion hereof. less conveyer element operating in and sup- Inthe drawings which accompany and form a 10 ported by the frame, a motorabove the supportlpart of this specication or disclosure and in 65 ingframe having power transmitting mechanism which like numerals of`reference denote corj for driving the conveyer element, and arectanresponding parts throughout the several views: guiarwheel-equipped frame through which the f Figure H1 is a side elevationof a conveyer angle-iron supporting frame extends and from embodyinglthe invention;

which the supporting frame is supportedbyad- Figure 2 iS a plan View,the COVGI 0f the' 70 justable suspension means. v i Y power unit housingbeing omitted for purposes One object of the invention is to provide aof illustration; l portable conveyer of the type under considera- Figure3 is an enlarged cross sectional view tion in which the rectangularwheel-equipped taken on the line '.3-3 of Figure 1;

frame and the power unit consisting of the motor Figure 4 is aperspective view of the rectangu- 75 and ther power transmissionmechanism are so lar wheel-equipped frame, parts being. omitted locatedor positioned with respect to the elonandshown in section; v gatedangle-iron supporting frame that the con- Figure 5 is a vertical.sectional view of the veyer balances properly and. in such a manner'rectangular wheel-equipped frame, showing in g5' that the receiving endthereof. may be easily detail the construction of the driving mechanism80 and readily picked up whenit is desired to move whereby the wheelsmay be driven eitherfconthe conveyer from one place to another. .Yjointly `Aor individually; and

Another object of the invention is to provide Figure 6 is a plan sectionof the rectangular i a portable conveyer in which the rectangular frame.f

,30 trame from which the supporting frame isA sus- The c onveyer whichforms the subject matter 85 pended is equipped with a Apair vof `wheelsat of the invention is adapted for use in movingy the sides thereof andembodies animproved concoal, sand, gravel and other such material fromstruction or arrangement whereby the wheels a pile on the ground to atruck or second conare mounted so that they may be swung at right veyerand comprises an elongated supportingY angles from a position in whichthey are parallel frame 8. y The latter isa'ssociated with ay rectan- 90to a position in which they are aligned and gular wheel-equipped frame 9sol that it may be operate to permit the conveyer to `be shiftedproperly positioned with respect to the matebodily in a lateraldirection. ,rial to be conveyed and may be moved Yfrom Another object ofthe invention is the proone place to another. The supporting frame 8y 40vision of mechanism which is associated with the consists of a pair ofsides,`each of which ern- 95 rectangular frame and is operative to drivethe bodies an upper longitudinally extendinga'ngle wheels eitherconjointly or individually in either iron bar 10, an intermediateangle-iron bar'11, direction so as to facilitate movement of the and alowerV angle-iron 4bar 12. .Y These three conveyer into its operativeposition. bars are substantially parallel. They are spaced A furtherobject of the invention is the proapart in vertical alignment and aresecured to a 100 vision of an improved sliding connection betweenplurality of longitudinally spaced angle-iron up-` the rectangularangle-iron supporting frame and rights 13v to form a rigid. structure.The two the rectangular wheel-equipped frame which sides of thesupporting frame areheld'in hori-` serves to guide the supporting frameduringv zontally spaced relation and cross connected by verticaladjustment thereof and prevents it from a` plurality` o'f angle ironcross bars `14 which 105 swaying laterally in the rectangular `frame.are secured to the intermediatebars .l1 and the A still further objectof the invention is to uprights 13 4(see Figure l). The two sides of theprovide a portable conveyer which is efiicient in supporting frame arealso rigidly. cross connectedv operation and is generally lof animprovedcharby a substantially imperforate plate 15,` the side acter.margins of which are bolted orriveted to the 110 Y the side vmargins ofthe belt.

`the lower bars 12.

.tudinally throughout substantially the entire horizontal and inwardlyextending legs 12a of This plate extends longilength of the supportingframe and overlies the lowerand return reach of an endless conveyerelement which is in the nature of. a belt 16. The upper bars 10 arearranged so thattheir horizontal legs 10al are at the top and extendinwardly. The vertical legs 1Gb of said bars 10 are bolted Yor rivetedto the longitudinally extending legs 13EL of the uprights 13. Theintermediate bars 11 are positioned in close proximity to the upper barsand are arranged sothat their horizonte. legs 11a are at the bottom andproject inwardly in the same manner as the legs 16l of said upper bars.The vertical legs 11b of the intermediate bars are bolted or riveted.l

to the legs 13a cf the uprights. The lower bars 12 are arrangedsimilarly to the upper members in that the horizontal legs 122L thereofare at the top and the vertical legs l2b are xed to the legs 13. f .YThe endless belt 16 which is preferably formed of leatherl ortreatedfabric is disposed between the sides of the supporting frame andis arranged so that `the. receiving end thereof extends around and-isvsupported by a receiving end roller 17... .The discharge end of the beltextends around and is supported by a delivering end roller 18. The upperreach or the ccn- .veyer belt is locatedr between the'upper andintermediate bars 10 and 1l and is carried by a longitudinal series ofpulley or roller units. Each o these units comprises .acentralsubstantially cylindrical supporting` roll 19 and a All three ofthese Y pair of. troughing rolls 20. rolls are ixed to a shaft 21 which-is journalled in a pair `of bearing brackets 22. The latter are securedto the horizontal legs 11a of .the intermediate bars 11. The troughingrolls of the units are truste-conical in .form and .operate to turnupwardly the marginal parts of the operative .upper reach ofthe belt 16so that said marginal Vparts are adjacent and in close proximityjtovtheinwardly extending horizontal legs 1.0?V or" the upper bars 10.- Byutilizing troughing rolls in connection with thercller units, the beltis supportedA so that the material tendsto rest'in the centralportionthereof. The legs 10a of; the upper. bars ldtogether with.angleiron bars 23which are secured to such legs prevent lateraldisplacement of the material over The lowerreach of the conveyer beltdisposed beneathl the plate 15 and is supported upon' a longitudinalseries vof roller-units, each of`v which consistsv of a of rolls'- 24.The latter are xed to a transversely extendingfshaft 24flwhichisjournalled atthe ends thereof in a ,pair ci' bearings These bearingsare. supporteL from the verticallegs 12D of. the lower bars 12 by meansor relatively` short angle brackets 26. The ends of the plate 15terminatetadjacentto the rollers 17 and 18 respectively.

VThe roller 17 is lxedly secured to the` central portionof a`shaft`27,.the'ends of which are journalled in a vpair of bearingbrackets 2t.`

These brackets t againstv and-are secured to the transverse legs 13b-of` the .tWo. uprights which are disposed adjacent 'to the receivingend of the belt-supporting frame `8. Said re# ceivingr` end of thesupporting fram'eembodies a pair of angle-iron'members 30,'which are cutand bent so that they areC-sha'ped in conguration. The ends of thesemembers are secured to the extreme ends of the upper bars 10 and thelower bars 12` respectively, by means of rivets or bolts which extendthrough the vertical legs of said bars. A receiving end top boot plate32 extends across and is secured to the upper parts of the'members 30and a bottom boot plate 33 extends across and is secured tothe lowerparts of said members. The bottom boot plate extends rearwardly to thesecond pair of uprights 13 so that the portion of the'return reach ofthe .belt which is disposed in close proximity to the receiving endroller 17 will not contact with the material upon which the receivingend of the conveyer rests. To house additionally the receiving end ofthe` supporting frame, pairs of plates 34 and 35 are provided.VThevplates 34 extend between the first and second rpairs of uprightsand are removably held in place by means of bolts 34EL which extend.through the upper marginal portion of said plates 34 and the verticallegs 10br ofthe upper bars 19. The

driven by an electric motorM which is disposed in a housing structure37. The I latter-is'positioned between the Yreceiving end of theconveyerand the rectangular Wheel-equipped frame' 9 and is disposed above the 1conveyerbelt. vThe driving connection between the motor M and the beltcomprises a pinion 38 which is xed t'ofone end of the motor-shaftm; agear wheel 39 whichvmeshes with the pinion 38fand isdrivably connected'to a shaft 40; asprocket wheel 41 which isxed to one end ofj the shaft40 i and is positioned outwardly of one of the frame sides;a'sprocket'42`which is driven from the wheel v41 by an -endless chain 43and is fixed to one end of a cross shaft 44.; asprocket wheel viilwhichis xed tothe other Vendof the shaft *'44 and is driven therebyV andoperates to drive a-chain 46 at the other side of lthe supporting frame;and a sprocket wheel` 47 .whichisdriven by the chain 46V and is securedvto the-shaft 18a upon whichH the delivering end roller. `18 .ismounted. The'ends of the cross shaft'44 are lmountedfin bearing brackets48 which are secured to apair of the uprights 13 adjacent to the centralportion of the supporting vframe. An idler sprocket 49 isdisposedbetween the sprocket wheels 45 and 47 and serves to'support thecentral portion of the drive chain 46. This idler sprocket is mounted ona crossshaft .50 which is journalled'in bearingv brackets 51.

VVVThe housing structure 37- for the motor is supported at the endadjacent to the' receiving end of ther conveyer by a pair of verticallyexn tending angle-iron standards 53 andatthe other end bya pair ofvertically extendingangle-iron standardsfi.' The lower ends of thesestandards aresecured to the; vertical legs of the angle-iron bars 10,-11l and 12 and the upper ends Ythereof are secured to the'ends of`v*and support a pair of longitudinally extending Aangle-iron 'bars"55..

The vstandards 53 aresomewhat longer thanthe standards 54,'so that thekbars 55-'are inclined downwardly toward the discharge end of "the lwheely frame.

conveyer. lThe standards 53 and 54 are preferably* spaced lapart so thatthe bars 554` extend at an angle of approximately this angle havlng beenfound in practice to best serve the various working requirements. Aplate56 extends transversely across. thebars and forms a base for supportingthe electric motor M. The sides Vof themotor are housed or enclosed bymeans of plates `57 which are secured to angle-iron uprights 58." Thelatter project upwardly from and are secured to the longitudinal bars55.` A top or cover 59 is secured in place over the motor by bolts sothat it maybe removed when access to the motor is desired for repair orreplacement purposes. The shaft 40 upon which the sprocket Wheel 41 andthe gear wheel 39 are mounted is journalled in bearing brackets 60 whichare secured to two of the uprights 58.

The 'sides of the supporting frame are closed at the discharge ordeliveryv end by a pair of V'plates 62 which are riveted or bolted tothe vertical legs of the upper, intermediate and bottom bars 10, 11 and12 of said frame. Notches 63 are cut inthe outer ends of these plate62soas to form openings through which the ends of the delivering end rollershaft 18e project re- 'spectivelyy The parts of said shaft which projectoutwardly of the plates 62 are journalled in a pair of bearings 64 whichare mounted on the" horizontal legs of a pair of longitudinallyextending angle-iron bars 65. These last mentioned barsare secured attheir inner ends kto the rearmost uprights 13. The outer ends of thebars are riveted to a pair of rectangular plates 66 which are fixed tothe outer ends of the plates62. j

The rectangular wheel-equipped frame 9 through which the belt-supportingframe 8 extends and vfrom which said frame is suspended I so 'that itmay be moved vertically to position properly the discharge end of thelbelt 16, comprises a pair of ground 4wheels '70, the hubs of-whicliare'rotatably` mounted cn the outer ends 'of a. pair of stubaxles 71 at the sides of the .These stub v-axles are pivotally connectedto the ends of the horizontal leg 72a ofv atransversely extendingangle-ironcrossbar V72'by means of.kingpins 73 so that the kwheels maybe swung lfrom-their normal or parallel position into a position inwhich they lie in the sameplane. In this last mentioned position of thewheels which is shown by dotted lines in Figure 2, the conveyer maybemoved laterally so that the receiving end thereof may be prop- 1 erlyarranged with respect to the'l pile yof material to be conveyed. A pairofl angle-iron armsV 74 project from the vends of the crossbar 72towards the receiving end of the belt-supporting frame 8. AThese arms74` are connected to the crossbar by means'v of angle brackets 75. Thelatter are attached to the verticalleg 72b of the crossbar andare-secured by bolts 76 to the horizontal legs "74;8L of the arms. Thelatter are at .thebottom lof the arms and4 project inwardly.

I Associatedwith said arms 74 is a pair of diagonally extendingangle-iron braces 77. These braces are rigidly connected to the distalor outer ends of the arms 74 and project upwardly towards the dischargeend of the belt-supporting frame 8. The central portions of the braces77 arev provided with a pair of lugs 78 to which are pivoted the frontends of a pair` of angle-iron reaches or links79. The rear ends of theselinks are pivotally connected by bolts 80 to a pair -of bracket 4plates81 whichare .xedly secured to the lower bars 12. adjacent to thestandards 54. The links 79 serve to connect pivotally the lower end oi?the wheel frame to the supporting frame and are of such length that thewheels 70 are positioned beneath the centralportion of said supportingframe. This arrangement operates to lbalance theV conveyerso thatthereceiv# ing end thereof may be easily and readily picked up and theconveyer moved fromponei place Vto another as desired. `The plates 81are each proi vided with a longitudinal series of bolt holes 81e for usein arranging the links 79y in the proper or desired position. A pairofhorizontally positioned triangular plates 82 are secured tothe ends ofthe leg 72a of lthe crossbar 72 and operate, f to form asupportingsurface for the inner endsofV the stub axles 71. These'plates-82 are provided with holes `through which bolts or other suitablelocking devices may be inserted for securing the stub axles in Vtheirvarious assigned positions. The upper part of the wheel framecomprises-a pair of vertically extending side members 83`and a topVmember `84. Each of the side members comprises a channel iron beam 85and an angle iron beam 86 which are riveted' or otherwise securedtogether and have theirlower ends secured to aplate' 87. `Angle ironbars 88 arev secured to the lower ends of the plates 87 andthehorizontal legs 88e thereof having Vopenings orY holes in which theupper ends ofthe king-pins 73 are mounted andv Vheld against lateraldisplacement. '..The outer marginal parts of the plates 82 are bentupwardly and then inwardly to form stops for preventing outward movementof the inner ends of the stub axles 71 when the latter are in parallelrelation (see "dottedV lines in Figure 2) and the wheels are in thesametransverse plane. The inwardly extending portions of the bentmarginalparts of said plates 82 are riveted or bolted tothe legs88a ofthe bars 88. The side members 83 are `secured to the crossbar 72 bymeans of plates 89which are riveted to thevertical leg `72,Et ofsaidcrossbar and the vertical channel iron beams 85. lThe top member 84consists of a pair of angle iron cross members 90 which are riveted `tothe upper p ends of the beams 85` and 86 and to triangular brace plates91. The ,beams 85` of the'members 83 are arrangedY so that thetransverse `legs thereof project inwardly and, form guideways 83e. Theupper ends of the 'diagonally extending braces ,77 are rivetedtothetriangular plates 87 and are connected `to the beams 86 of themembers 83.

The belt-'supporting frame Sextends between the side-members 83 of thewheel-equipped frame 9 and is suspended or supported from above by meansof a flexible cable 92. This cable is anchored at one end thereof to abolt93 which extends between and is secured ito the cross Amembers 90yofthe top member 84. From the bolt 93, the cable extends downwardly andaround a pulley 94 which iscarried bythe crossbar 95 of a bail 96. Theends of this bail are pivotallyconnected toa cross shaft 97 which`extends through thebelt-supporting frame and is mounted as hereinafterdescribed. Fromthe pulley 94 the cable 92 extends upwardly and `around apulley 98 which iscarried by the top Y ground Wheels.

tends` loutwardly over a sheave 101 and then downwardly, alongone of theside members 83 and around a winding drum 102. f This Y drum is mountedon VYa shaft 103, the endsof which arerotatablymounted in bearing lugsy104 which are secured'to aplate 105. The latter isriveted to thecentral portion of the adjacent side member 83. The drum is rotated soasto Wind or unwind thecable byga Wormgear 107. The latter is fixed ltoa shaft 108 which is mounted in a bearing bracket 109-and is operated bya crank 110.1 By rotating the drum so as to wind the cable thereon thebelt-supporting frame 8 will be raised or elevated with respect to theBy rotating the drum in the opposite direction, the cable willbelengthened so as to lower the supporting frame. i Y

Thecross shaft 97 is non-rotatably held in a pair of brackets or lugs111 which are secured to a pair of longitudinally extending angle bars112 respectively. These bars lunderlie and are secured to the centralportions of the intermediate bars 11. Y'Ishe ends'of the shaft 97 areprovided with loosely mounted shoes 113 which extend into andareslidable in the guidewaysk 83a.. Theseshoes form a sliding connectionbetween .the belt-frame and the nwheel-frame which guides saidbelt-frame during' vertical movement thereof and prevents it fromlswaying laterally. Y L Y Y' The structure 37'which houses the electricmotor M is mounted approximately one-half way between the receivingendof the conveyer belt and thezwheel-frame. By so positioning thestructure, the conveyer normally assumes the position shown in Figure A1and is so balanced that the receivingend'thereof may be readily pickedup when the conveyer is to be transported orv moved from one place toanother.

vTo-facilitate transportation of the conveyer and to permit ofreadyfadjustnient thereof into the desired position, mechanism isprovided whereby the ground wheels 70 may be driven conjointly orindividually.',This mechanism lis associatedV with the yrectangularframe 9 and comprises a drive shaft 114 anda pair of pin' ions 115 andy116 which are mounted onkthe ends of the drive shaft'and are adapted tocooperate with internal 'gears 117 on the felloes or rims of the Wheels.The internal gears 117 are preferably made lin sections or segmentswhich are provided at the ends thereof with lugs 118." The latter aresecuredrto the `felloes or rims Yof the ground Awheels by means of bolts119. The pin ions 115 and'll `are splined or otherwise oonnected tothe'drive shaft 114 so that they are rotatable with said shaft and areslidable longitudinally as hereinafter described intomeshingrelationwith the internal gears 117.V The drive shaft 114 is journalledin a pair oi' bearings 120 which are secured to the distaly or'outerends of the angle-iron arms 74. Longitudinal displacement of the shaftrelatively `to the bearings is prevented by a collar 121 and a sprocketWheel 122. tral portion of the drive shaftV and are arranged so as toabut against the bearings 120.- The drive shaft 114 is driven so as tocause rotation of the pinions 115 and 116 by means of a sprocl:i et 123vand endless chain 124. rEhe sprocket 1 23 is rigidly secured to theinner end of a 'transe versely extending shaft 1.25. This shaft isrotatably mounted in a bracket plate 126 which is fixedly secured' totheangle-iron beam v86 `of one of the side members 83 and is positionedabove The latter arev xedly secured to the een` the adjoining groundVWheel. The outer'endof the shaft 125 is provided 4with a polygonal head127 which is adaptedto have applied thereto al crank 128. The chain 124extends-around the sprocket 123 and the sprocket wheel-122 and operates,during rotation of the -crank 128, to

impart rotary movement to the shaft 114. The

a bracket13`1 on one of the bars 88. The lowerl end of the lever 129 isbentoutwardly and embodies a finger 132 Whichicooperates with the whichis rotatably connected to the pinion 115. The Vupper endV of kthe lever129 is-shaped to form a handle 136. ink one direction, .the fork 133operates .to shift the Vpinion 115 into mesh With the internal gear 117on the adjoining ground wheel` and therebyV effectsl a drivingconnection between the drive shaft and said wheel. inthe oppositedirection," the pinion is caused yto be shifted inwardly on the shaft114 andout of mesh with Vthe result that the adjoining ground wheel isfree with respect Vto the driving mechanism. The pinion llis'shiftedlongitudinally on the shaft 114 into and outof meshing relation with theinternal gear 117 on the adjoining ground wheel that is opposite theretoby means of a lever 137 which is positioned in close proximity to theleverv 129.

When the leveris shifted The lower' end of said lever 137 is pivotally`mounted on the Vpintle 'Y ,bent portion of the lever to form a forkY133. The latter is connected by pins 134 to a collar 135r When thelever isshifted n gether with the arm 140 and the fork 141 Vop,-l

er'ates to shift the pinion 116 into meshwith the internal gear 117 ofthe adjoining ground wheel and.' effects a rdriving connection betweensaid` wheel and the drive shaft 114. VvWhen the lever 137 is shifted inthe opposite direction, the pinion`116 is caused to beV shifted inwardlyon the shaft `and out of mesh.' The pinions `11'5 and 116 together withthe v, various operating. parts that are associatedtherewith-exemplify.means wherebythe ground wheels may be driven eitherconjointly or individually. Ihe inner portions of the pinions 115and 116areY provided with annular flanges 144 which operate to prevent themVfrom being shifted outwardly past-the internal gears 117. These flangesare preferablyformed integrally with the pinions rand are adapted toengage the inner side faces of the internal gears.

The operation of the conveyer mechanism will be as follows; The groundwheels 70 which are normally in parallel relation, as shown byV fulllinesV in Figure r2,y permit the conveyer to be moved so that thereceiving'end thereof rests upon or adjacent to the material that is tobe elevated or conveyed. If desired, the ground Wheels may be driven forconveyer moving purposes,l first by manipulating the levers 129 and 137so as to effect engagement of the pinions 150- 115 .and 1161with the.linternalgears .117. and then turningthecrank v128 in ,the properdirection to cause drive of the shaft 114 through the medium ofthe chainand sprocket connection. Inthe event. that .it-is necessary to shift`the conveyer angularly in, yorder ,to position the receiving Yendproperly. with vrespect to the material, yone `of the pinions is shiftedinto meshing relation and the other pinion is shifted out of` '10 meshand then the crank 128 is turned `to effect rotation of the power drivenwheel. By applying4 power to one lof the. wheels and not the other, itismanifest that the conveyer will be turnedtabout the loose wheel andcaused to be rotated or' shifted angularly.V To start the conveyingvoperation. theelectric motor M which Visusually supplied with currentfrom -an overhead trolley system. or connector, is started so asaltodrive the conveyer belt 16 through the 20 medium of the chains 43 and 46and the .Various sprocket Wheels that are associatedtherewith.During'drive of the belt, the material is shoved onto the' receiving.end offthe supporting frame rwhere itis engaged by the drag bar 16 andpropelled to the discharge end of the conveyer. Inthe event thatitshould be desired to move the conveyer transversely or laterally, theground wheels 70 are swung 90 so that `they are positioned inlongitudinal alignment. In this position of the wheels the conveyer maybe shifted bodily in a lateral direction. To adjust the heightof theldischarge end of the conveyer,V it is only necessary to turn the cabledrum 102 to effect the necessary adjustment. During such i adjustment,the shoes 113 travel in the guideways 83a of the side members 83. At theconclusion of the conveying operation, the conveyer may be shifted i-ntoa horizontal position by raising the discharge end and while in such.position moved away.

The conveyer `disclosed herein is exceedingly efficient in operation byvirtue of the fact that provision is made for driving the ground wheelsconjointly or individually and the various op- 15A Aerating partsthereof are so housed and positioned that the material to be conveyedcan not injure the working thereof.

The invention is not to beuunderstood as restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

This application constitutes in part a divivsion of an application filedSeptember 20, 1928,

seriai No, 307,109.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:l

1. In a portable conveyer, the combination of 50 an elongated supportingframe comprising sides, an endless conveyer means extending between thesides and from one end of the frame to the other, mechanism foroperating the conveyer means, carried by the supporting frame, asubstantially vertical, rectangular frame through which the supportingframe extends, a pair of ground wheels, a pair of stub axles on theextreme outer ends of which the wheels are Vmounted, king pins extendingthrough the cen- -tral portion of the stub axles and mounted adjacent tothe lower ends of the side members of the rectangular frame so as topermit the wheels to be swung from a normal parallel position into aposition wherein they are in longi- 5 V,tudinal alignment and permit theconveyer tov be moved laterally, and a pair of substantially horizontalplates connected to the/endsfof the lower cross-barv of the rectangular.framefand adapted to support and form bearingisurfaces for the innerendsof the stub axles, the outer parts of the plates being`bentupwardlyto form f stops for engaging the inner ends of the. stubaxles when said axles are inthe position wherein the wheels are alignedone .with theother.' v. v2. In.V a portable conveyer, the combination ofan elongated supporting frame comprising sides, an1endless conveyermeans extending between the sides and from-one end ofthe frame to thekother, mechanismyfor operating theY conveyer means, carriedA bythesupporting frame, a substantially vertical, `rectangular fframe throughwhich the supporting frame extends, a pairk of ground rwheels, a `pairof stub axles onthe extreme outer .ends 4of which the wheels aremounted, king pins extending fthrough the central portion of the stubaxles and mounted adjacent to-the lower ends of the side members of therectangular frame yso as to permit the Awheels to" be swung frcm anormalparallel position into av position wherein they are in longitudinalalign-V. 10() ment and permit .the conveyer to be movedlaterally,a pairof substantially horizontal plates conf: nected to the ends ofthe lowercrossbar` of the rectangular frame and-adapted to supportand formbearing surfaces for the inner `ends of th stub axles, the outer partsof. the., plates being bent upwardlyand theninwardly-to for-mstops `forengaging the'inner 'ends' of .thej stub axles when said axles are in theposition wherein the' wheels Vare. aligned with one another, and bars119` connected to the inwardly bent parts of the plates and arranged soas to overlie the central portions of the axles and support the lupperends of the king pins. l

3. In a portable conveyer, the combinationof 1115 an elongatedsupporting frame, an endless conveyer means supported by the frame andextending between the sides thereof, a substantially vertical,lrectangular frame adjacent to thecentral portion of the supportingframe and through 120 whichvthe latter extends, said rectangular framehaving ground wheelsfand embodyingside members provided with'verticalguideways, a pair of y shoes pivotally supported at opposite sides ofsaidV Vcentral portion of the supporting frame and mounted slidably insaid guideways in order to form sliding connections between the twoframes,

vand mechanism for raising and lowering'` the supporting frame, mountedonsaid yrectangular frame.

4. In a portable conveyor, the combination of an elongated supportingframe, an endless conveyer means supported by said frame and extendingbetween the sides thereof, a substantially vertical, rectangular frameadjacent to the 1-35 central 'portion of the supporting frame andthrough which the latter extends, said rectangular frame being providedwith ground wheels and comprising a top member and side members havingvertical guideways, a transverse shaft extending through the supportingframe and having shoes connected pivotally to the ends thereof andmounted slidably in the guideways to form .sliding connections betweenthe two frames, av y bail connected to the supporting frame, and ad-1(45 justable supporting means betweensaid bail'and the top member ofthe rectangular frame.

5. In a portable conveyer, the combination of an elongated supportingframe, an endless conveyer means supported by said frame and' extend-1.5.0

ing between the sides thereof, a substantially vertical, rectangularframe adjacent to the central portion of the supporting frameandrthrough which the latter extends, said rectangular frame beingprovided with ground wheels and comprispivotally connected to saidshaft, and adjustable suspension members between the-bail and the topmember of the rectangular frame.

6. In a portable conveyer, the combination of an elongated frame, anendless conveyer means carried by the frame and extending from one endthereof to the other, a substantially vertical, rectangular framepositioned adjacent to the central portion of the elongated frame andthrough which the latter extends, a pair of laterallyy spaced groundwheels for support-ing conveyer, said wheels being associated with thelower ends of the side members of the rectangular frame and embodyinginternal gears around the rims thereof, and mechanism for manuallydriving the wheels lmounted on and supported by the rectangularsupporting frame, and comprising a rotatable horizontally extendingshaft supported adjacent to the lower crossbarvof the rectangular frame,a pair of pinions mounted onV the ends of the shaft and arranged to meshwith the internal gears on the wheels, and a handcrank associated one ofthev side members of the rectangular frame and connected to drive theshaft.-Y '1 Y 7. In a portable-conveyer, the combination of an elongatedframe, an endlessrconveyer meansY of the side members of the rectangularframe and embodying internal gears around the rims thereof, andmechanism for manually driving the Wheels in either direction andconjointly or individually, comprising a rotatable, horizontallyextending shaft mounted on the rectangular .frame so that it is arrangedin close proximity to the lower crossbar, a pair of pinions mounted onand connected tobe driven by the ends of the shaft and shiftable :intoand Yout of mesh with said internal gears, a hand crank k.supportedon'the central portion of one of the side members of the rectangularframe and connected to drive the shaft, and levers for ,individuallyshifting the pinions into and out of mesh with 'their respectiveinternal Y gears extending alongside ofthe said one" side member. of therectangular frame and Yoperable Vfrom a point adjacent to the handcrank. t

Y ARTHUR L. SHAW.

